McCain campaign ceases operation, kind of

Pointing to the dire nature of America’s current financial crisis, John McCain made a surprising announcement Wednesday that he is going back to Washington, D.C., to help lawmakers craft a bailout package for Wall Street and will effectively suspend his campaign until an agreement is made.

But is it really in recess?

John McCain waves to supporters during a campaign stop in Colorado Springs in September. (Photo/Jason Kosena)

In a statement McCain read to reporters Wednesday, the Arizona Republican said he has canceled his campaign stops and pulled his political advertising from the airwaves. McCain also said he favors delaying Friday’s first presidential debate, a request Barack Obama said Wednesday he was not willing to accept, saying tough times like America faces today are exactly when voters should hear from the candidates.

McCain’s regional spokesman Tom Kise, who accidentally sent the campaign’s talking points about the suspended campaign to Colorado reporters Wednesday, elaborated on the campaign’s suspension in an interview with The Colorado Independent Thursday.

“We have pulled all of our ads and the fundraisers are ceasing,” Kise said. “We’re not doing the mass emails from the campaign. That sort of stuff is slowing down.”

When The Colorado Independent stopped by McCain’s campaign office in Fort Collins Thursday morning, there were still volunteers busy shuffling campaign signs and answering phone calls. The office, located at 1730 S. College Ave., is also the headquarters for many other Republican candidates including Senate candidate Bob Schaffer, and state House candidates Matt Fries and Bob McCluskey.

Kise acknowledged McCain volunteers are still working through the suspended campaign, noting the election is still in November and that McCain will not be in Washington, D.C., working on the bailout package forever.

“There are always things that volunteers can be doing to get ready and to plan because this suspension isn’t going to last forever; there are still 43 days left before the election,” Kise said. “So, they are still organizing and planning but as for the campaign itself there is no forward movement at this time.”